Justin Timberlake Big Winner At MTV Awards

September 10, 2007 at 5:20 AM (PT)

The MTV VIDEO AWARDS invaded LAS VEGAS last night, with the show banking heavily on its own reinvention. After poor reviews and a decline in ratings over the last few years, MTV moved the show to VEGAS, shortened it from three hours to two, went to a hostless format and focused more on performances than awards.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE was the night's big winner, with four trophies.

RIHANNA won the coveted Video of the Year award, plus Monster Single of the Year for "Umbrella." The Best Group was FALLOUT BOY, and GYM CLASS HEROES won Best New Artist.

BEYONCE and SHAKIRA won Most Earthshattering Collaboration for "Beautiful Liar."

Other performers appeared on the show's main stage, in front of an industry-only audience seated at tables, like at the Golden Globes. CHRIS BROWN gave one of the evening's most extravagant performances, hopping from table to table in a dance spectacle that channeled MICHAEL JACKSON, right down to a brief "Billie Jean" imitation.

ALICIA KEYS had the evening's most rousing performance, debuting her new song "No One" and then an inspired, choir-backed cover of GEORGE MICHAEL's "Freedom."

Suite Parties Feature Performers Not On Main Stage

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and TIMBALAND, KANYE WEST, FALL OUT BOY and THE FOO FIGHTERS hosted separate suite parties where most of the performances took place. But the performance most people will be talking about was the disappointing BRITNEY SPEARS.

"It definitely could have been a lot better," said AKON afterward. "She seemed nervous ... you could tell by the expression on her face. Instead of just blocking everybody out and doing her thing, you could tell she was thinking about it."

After that, though, the changes to the show worked, leading to several exciting performances and some water-cooler drama. An off-camera fight between PAMELA ANDERSON exes KID ROCK and TOMMY LEE led JAMIE FOX to quip: "Stop all this white-on-white violence." ROCK was charged with misdemeanor battery, but was not taken into custody.

While performances like KEYS' and SPEARS' were delivered on the main stage, others came in snippets: AKON crooned a bit of his "Smack That" before an award was announced, while the cameras zoomed in on FALL OUT BOY and THE FOO FIGHTERS mid-performance in their suites, giving viewers the sense that they had happened upon an intimate concert.

CEE-LO delivered a rocking version of PRINCE's naughty classic "Darling Nikki" in the smokey FOO FIGHTERS suite. SOULJA BOY was showing KANYE WEST his "Crank That" dance in WEST's suite.

Though the suites appeared to be chaotic parties, the MTV-cast revelers were carefully organized, strategically placed and encouraged to imbibe for the cameras.

TV viewers never got full views of those shows, though MTV promised more via its website and other "remixed" versions of the show. That might have been the purpose: to whet appetites for repeat viewings by promising glimpses of what they missed during the traditional broadcast.